[Stirfry]

I realize I am a little late to the discussion here, but I disagree about "Guns, Germs and Steel." If anything, it's a fairly red pill book, with a sort of "might makes right" theme. Or at least, Jared Diamond tries to explain how some civilizations got the "might" (and had no problems using it) while others didn't, or more accurately, couldn't. More importantly, he backs up his assertions with data from archaeologists and paleontologists, as you might expect from someone who is a member of the National Academy of Sciences.